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Saint Junipero Serra

"Twenty-five leagues from Monterey he (Junipero) came upon a little stream which watered a lovely oak-studded valley inclosed by rugged mountains. The beauty of this wild and lonely place charmed him. He decided to found the mission here. The bells were accordingly unpacked and suspended from the branch of a great oak. Junipero seized the ropes and shouted with a kind of delirious rapture, "Hear, Gentiles, come, come, to the Holy Church, come, come, to receive the faith of Jesus Christ."

One of the friars, Fray Miguel Pieras, remonstrated with him. "Why do you tire yourself in this way?" he demanded. "There are no Indians in sight; it is a waste of time to ring the bells.""I would like these bells to be heard by all the world," exclaimed Junípero, " or at least by all the Gentiles who live in the mountains."  Junípero Serra; the Man and His Work By Abigail Hetzel Fitch

"With no less carefulness did this servant of God try to draw his children toward the worship of the most Holy Sacrament. He instructed them to prepare and decorate arches in the road where the procession of Corpus Christi would pass. Four chapels were placed along the way with their respective altars where our Crucified Lord might rest, and after the singing in each one of them of the corresponding anthem, verse and prayer, an Indian stood up (generally a little boy) and recited a praise to the Divine Sacrament, of which two were in Spanish and two in the Pame dialect, which were very touching and increased the devotion of all. When they had returned to the church a Mass was sung and a sermon preached on this most Holy Mystery. With the same carefulness he consecrated himself to encourage in all devotion to our Lady Mary, and especially to her Most Immaculate Conception, preparing for this celebration with a Novena at which all the people were present. On the great day of the feast Mass was sung, a sermon was preached, and afterwards they chanted The Joys of the Most Immaculate Conception. Every Sunday afternoon they recited the Crown of Our Mother of Mercy, finishing it with a Hymn of Praise and the Hymn of Joy, which were sung. In order to make this the more attractive the Venerable Father had had sent out from Mexico a sculptured image of our most Sweet Lady which was put upon a platform and taken out in procession through the town every Saturday night, the illumination being made with lanterns, and with the accompaniment of the singing of the Rosary. After coming back again into the church they sang the hymn, “Tota pulchra es Maria," which our beloved servant translated into Spanish and which the Indians learned by heart and chanted with great solemnity, producing in all who heard it the greatest tenderness, especially that verse which says: "Thou art the honor of our people" and by means of which a most ardent devotion was kindled toward our Most Merciful Mother.

In the same way he tried to impress upon their plastic hearts devotion to Saint Michael, Archangel, to the Most Holy Patriarch, Saint Joseph; to our Holy Father, Saint Francis, and to the other Saints in such a fashion that the whole people were as well instructed as if they were Spaniards and had been brought up Catholics, all this being due to the very fervent zeal of our Venerable Fr. Junípero. In view of the most laborious service of this model Prelate his subordinates were set to imitate him, as well as were also the friars of the other four Missions, and through these means the whole of the five towns became as thoroughly Christian as if they had always been such." Francisco Palou's Life and Apostolic Labors of the Venerable Father Junípero By Francisco Palóu 1913